Posted on Tuesday, 8 February 2011

13 MWAChronicles20:Broken Bridges Rebuilt      Bridges help unite people who otherwise may never meet. The Internet is today’s virtual bridge instantly connecting strangers who may end up transforming world views; creating laughter; or more uplifting providing light to someone who lives a life filled with darkness. These are optimistic perspectives on a technology that often creates a culture of cynicism and passive-aggressive behavior. These negative aspects are some of the kinks that need to be removed from the social bridge, if it is to provide encouragement to those who use it.        Reflect on the growth and usefulness of what society refers to as “The Web”. Crossing over economic bridges, the web provides services from electronic auctions, book retailers, fashion and jewelry designers, travel needs, and philanthropic causes. Shopping can be done at home, while electronic trading provides an alternative forum for the stock market.         While marketing has found new venues to reach customers, the way we socialize has transformed as well. Social networking perhaps is one of the major reasons why we spend so much time “plugged in”. Speaking of being plugged in, count the number of people you see with earplugs connected to their iPhones. We are the “Pod People” generation!….I digress…     As a college freshman in the mid-90’s, I remember my chemistry professor say, “Professional success depends on successful networking!” I never knew the meaning of what that meant until I entered the job market. My use of social networks is out of a relational need, while I might also follow the popular use of establishing platforms usually practiced by writers, artists, musicians, social activists, and entrepreneurs.          Networking is more than a bridge.  It’s a social commentary on our desire to feed on the placenta that is WiFi via our invisible umbilical cords through wireless internet access.  The Matrix is a film before Facebook and Twitter and somehow states the same thing about our tendency to become obsessively reliant on technology. As a parallel to this need, we often can not get enough of our social fix. We run the risk of becoming social automatons nourished by social acceptance. Others desire belonging in the world, if not in his own hometown, somewhere by somebody in the world.  One should consider searching for others who DO NOT think like oneself, however. It is so easy to acquiesce with those with similar views. What a challenge for ourselves once in a while to have open debates and intelligent discussions once in awhile.       Considering possible negatives related to social networking, do we give up our popular sites that have us vote on what people say? Do we become egoists posting hundreds of self-portraits with the help of the bathroom mirror? Do we simply relish the fact we can connect with our scholarly past and catch up on the last 15 years missed with old friends and estranged relatives?         Disillusionment follows every novel invention.  How do we continue to make social networks exciting for us again? We are forced to reinvent our lives and think how we were able to survive with all this new technology. Sometimes, instead of plugging in with others, sometimes we need to bridge the gaps within ourselves. We realize that all this technology - texting, emails, wall posting, chatrooms - all give new avenues for possible rejections. See the following link below: It’s Not Just Texting          All this brings back memories of the Palezoic Era of techno: pay phones. When you had the urge to call someone, you had to have change AND know the person’s number. I’m lucky I know my home number and my own cell number. Other than that, I’m out of luck! No speed dial and instant pic recognition on who was calling you back then, for sure!            While we’re waxing nostalgia, I miss snail mail! I practice it on occasion. I love using cute stationary and stickers, ways to express creativity and sometimes the level of how much you cared for the recipient.  The coldness of email and the ambiguity of texting can be daunting at times and lead to frustration and misunderstandings. Once again, a technology as a bridge against itself.  Of course, one misses the instant gratification of being able to send pictures of your god children to other family members or see how that friend you worried about is doing okay, sending pictures of her toddler through multi-media messaging.            Where do we go from here? What happens when the infrastructure or security becomes threatened in terms of sharing information as innocent as our favorite color or as volatile as being caught in an interoffice scandal? (Or as silly as what Jill did behind Jack’s back before she tumbled after and Jack broke his crown?) What happens when suddenly all this becomes meaningless?…(pregnant pause) Hmm, there was a point to this…      Consider the aforementioned point A being met with the following point B. The result of this aside? A written bridge between two separate ideas with one theme: relating to one another, and doing it better.  Is the bridge crumbling? Is it about to collapse? Or is it in need of being demolished completely to make room for a better structure? Yes! An unsafe bridge needs to be taken down to be replaced by a safer one. This will help us reinvent how we connect the gaps between people.  On a psychological level, relating better to one another is the new frontier…At least it is in my own life.              From personal experience, I’ve crossed metaphorical bridges, not many but enough to pause about certain life issues. A bridge between two people can be crossed for so long without noticing its wear and tear. As in any relationship, regular maintenance is important. Otherwise, the bridge just falls apart. Maybe the tools used to make it were inadequate. Some of its builders were inexperienced in some aspects of its creation. Without the right engineers, tools, or design, the bridge fails to carry out its function.  Suddenly, the bridge breaks in the harshest weather conditions meant to represent life stressors.   Those previously using the bridge try not to drown and drift aimless or perhaps float for awhile until they can’t survive on their own.          The bridge they once had faith in becomes an illusion. All that every one believed in has shattered.  THough the bible has no mention of bridges due to the historical time during which it was written, Christians would argue that Jesus was a bridge sent to recreate the bond between God and humanity broken by The Fall (Genesis 3). THose struggling with their faith, in this respect, would probably feel as though the bridge they took confidence in was ripped from under them.  Generally speaking, without the bridge, previously united parties become divided.  The logical thing to do would be to rebuild a new bridge. This time much stronger, after builders recognize the weaknesses in the first design.       The same goes for the fractured bridges between ourselves and loved ones.  For those spiritual, the bridge needs to be rebuilt in order that he or she can feel connected to God.  Politically speaking, we need to redesign the bridges in which we communicate with government and its people and between other nations. The old bridge can no longer stand!           Unrest from personal to global levels are the signs that today’s invisible bridges are starting to fall down. If we believe in our social status on social networks gives us an accurate sense of who we are as a person, we need to rebuild our inner bridges. Our worth is not measured by how many people like your status or the number of friends you have or requests you receive. Your true worth comes from knowing that in spite of all that, you know you continually try to be the best person. Everyone does, at least that is my hope.               EVen from the beginning as a young child, I knew I had trouble connecting those bridges or finding the safe bridges to cross and where not to tread. I was a sensitive child with my own bridge to break. As I got older, unable to see my bridge needed maintaining, soon it would fall. I had to pick up from there. WIth each new positive person in my life I have met on social networks, I have been able to build my bridge into a resilient crossover for others.  I have met a lot of people who hold up my bridge and keep it standing. Some have left my life but still affect me deeply. Just as you cross over a bridge not able to see all its parts underneath, you trust them enough to hold you safely towards the destination you need to go. I hope I can offer the same safe journey to others.          With new bridges come new unions. With this in mind, new ways to relate to the world is possible. In conclusion, I include the following: Carma       Bridges connect one distant place to another. The above clip can be a teacher in many ways.  It inspired me to expand my idea about what the metaphor of bridges means in our society. The conclusion is quite the same as established in the relationship between the man and the forest creature. The key word is “relationship,” a relationship that looks out for the other.

13 MWAChronicles20:Broken Bridges Rebuilt  

   Bridges help unite people who otherwise may never meet. The Internet is today’s virtual bridge instantly connecting strangers who may end up transforming world views; creating laughter; or more uplifting providing light to someone who lives a life filled with darkness. These are optimistic perspectives on a technology that often creates a culture of cynicism and passive-aggressive behavior. These negative aspects are some of the kinks that need to be removed from the social bridge, if it is to provide encouragement to those who use it.

       Reflect on the growth and usefulness of what society refers to as “The Web”. Crossing over economic bridges, the web provides services from electronic auctions, book retailers, fashion and jewelry designers, travel needs, and philanthropic causes. Shopping can be done at home, while electronic trading provides an alternative forum for the stock market.  

      While marketing has found new venues to reach customers, the way we socialize has transformed as well. Social networking perhaps is one of the major reasons why we spend so much time “plugged in”. Speaking of being plugged in, count the number of people you see with earplugs connected to their iPhones. We are the “Pod People” generation!….I digress…

    As a college freshman in the mid-90’s, I remember my chemistry professor say, “Professional success depends on successful networking!” I never knew the meaning of what that meant until I entered the job market. My use of social networks is out of a relational need, while I might also follow the popular use of establishing platforms usually practiced by writers, artists, musicians, social activists, and entrepreneurs. 

        Networking is more than a bridge.  It’s a social commentary on our desire to feed on the placenta that is WiFi via our invisible umbilical cords through wireless internet access.  The Matrix is a film before Facebook and Twitter and somehow states the same thing about our tendency to become obsessively reliant on technology. As a parallel to this need, we often can not get enough of our social fix. We run the risk of becoming social automatons nourished by social acceptance. Others desire belonging in the world, if not in his own hometown, somewhere by somebody in the world.  One should consider searching for others who DO NOT think like oneself, however. It is so easy to acquiesce with those with similar views. What a challenge for ourselves once in a while to have open debates and intelligent discussions once in awhile.

      Considering possible negatives related to social networking, do we give up our popular sites that have us vote on what people say? Do we become egoists posting hundreds of self-portraits with the help of the bathroom mirror? Do we simply relish the fact we can connect with our scholarly past and catch up on the last 15 years missed with old friends and estranged relatives?  

      Disillusionment follows every novel invention.  How do we continue to make social networks exciting for us again? We are forced to reinvent our lives and think how we were able to survive with all this new technology. Sometimes, instead of plugging in with others, sometimes we need to bridge the gaps within ourselves. We realize that all this technology - texting, emails, wall posting, chatrooms - all give new avenues for possible rejections. See the following link below:

It’s Not Just Texting

         All this brings back memories of the Palezoic Era of techno: pay phones. When you had the urge to call someone, you had to have change AND know the person’s number. I’m lucky I know my home number and my own cell number. Other than that, I’m out of luck! No speed dial and instant pic recognition on who was calling you back then, for sure! 

          While we’re waxing nostalgia, I miss snail mail! I practice it on occasion. I love using cute stationary and stickers, ways to express creativity and sometimes the level of how much you cared for the recipient.  The coldness of email and the ambiguity of texting can be daunting at times and lead to frustration and misunderstandings. Once again, a technology as a bridge against itself.  Of course, one misses the instant gratification of being able to send pictures of your god children to other family members or see how that friend you worried about is doing okay, sending pictures of her toddler through multi-media messaging.

           Where do we go from here? What happens when the infrastructure or security becomes threatened in terms of sharing information as innocent as our favorite color or as volatile as being caught in an interoffice scandal? (Or as silly as what Jill did behind Jack’s back before she tumbled after and Jack broke his crown?) What happens when suddenly all this becomes meaningless?…(pregnant pause) Hmm, there was a point to this…

     Consider the aforementioned point A being met with the following point B. The result of this aside? A written bridge between two separate ideas with one theme: relating to one another, and doing it better.  Is the bridge crumbling? Is it about to collapse? Or is it in need of being demolished completely to make room for a better structure? Yes! An unsafe bridge needs to be taken down to be replaced by a safer one. This will help us reinvent how we connect the gaps between people.  On a psychological level, relating better to one another is the new frontier…At least it is in my own life. 

            From personal experience, I’ve crossed metaphorical bridges, not many but enough to pause about certain life issues. A bridge between two people can be crossed for so long without noticing its wear and tear. As in any relationship, regular maintenance is important. Otherwise, the bridge just falls apart. Maybe the tools used to make it were inadequate. Some of its builders were inexperienced in some aspects of its creation. Without the right engineers, tools, or design, the bridge fails to carry out its function.  Suddenly, the bridge breaks in the harshest weather conditions meant to represent life stressors.   Those previously using the bridge try not to drown and drift aimless or perhaps float for awhile until they can’t survive on their own.  

       The bridge they once had faith in becomes an illusion. All that every one believed in has shattered.  THough the bible has no mention of bridges due to the historical time during which it was written, Christians would argue that Jesus was a bridge sent to recreate the bond between God and humanity broken by The Fall (Genesis 3). THose struggling with their faith, in this respect, would probably feel as though the bridge they took confidence in was ripped from under them.  Generally speaking, without the bridge, previously united parties become divided.  The logical thing to do would be to rebuild a new bridge. This time much stronger, after builders recognize the weaknesses in the first design.

      The same goes for the fractured bridges between ourselves and loved ones.  For those spiritual, the bridge needs to be rebuilt in order that he or she can feel connected to God.  Politically speaking, we need to redesign the bridges in which we communicate with government and its people and between other nations. The old bridge can no longer stand!

          Unrest from personal to global levels are the signs that today’s invisible bridges are starting to fall down. If we believe in our social status on social networks gives us an accurate sense of who we are as a person, we need to rebuild our inner bridges. Our worth is not measured by how many people like your status or the number of friends you have or requests you receive. Your true worth comes from knowing that in spite of all that, you know you continually try to be the best person. Everyone does, at least that is my hope.  

            EVen from the beginning as a young child, I knew I had trouble connecting those bridges or finding the safe bridges to cross and where not to tread. I was a sensitive child with my own bridge to break. As I got older, unable to see my bridge needed maintaining, soon it would fall. I had to pick up from there. WIth each new positive person in my life I have met on social networks, I have been able to build my bridge into a resilient crossover for others.  I have met a lot of people who hold up my bridge and keep it standing. Some have left my life but still affect me deeply. Just as you cross over a bridge not able to see all its parts underneath, you trust them enough to hold you safely towards the destination you need to go. I hope I can offer the same safe journey to others.

         With new bridges come new unions. With this in mind, new ways to relate to the world is possible. In conclusion, I include the following: Carma

      Bridges connect one distant place to another. The above clip can be a teacher in many ways.  It inspired me to expand my idea about what the metaphor of bridges means in our society. The conclusion is quite the same as established in the relationship between the man and the forest creature. The key word is “relationship,” a relationship that looks out for the other.